The Post 1/8 World Will Be Whole New Version of Crazy
Questions are coming up about the last couple years for Jared Loughner. His fellow students sat near exits "just in case he brought a sub-machine gun." The college dismissed him and informed his parents that he could only return after a psychological assessment. Police knew about him. The warning signs were plain as day. Still: he could buy a gun and ammo. He was completely unwatched until it was too late. Police are now serving as frontline social workers and de facto psychologists. And, why not? Psychology is as much about social mores as it is about mental health. And crimes are relative the society they apply to. Crime, social norms and behavior are all relative. When you take things to their cold abstractions, many psychological disorders get applauded when the time is right: When someone is praying and demonstrating their faith, are they asking for wish fulfillment from an imaginary super being? When Loughner leapt out, mowed down a politician, a little girl, a judge an...